


What the Future Holds

by tdk4787



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 16:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20294548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tdk4787/pseuds/tdk4787
Summary: Sole survivor Nora should move on with her life, but she feels responsible for the future of the commonwealth. She is now trying to juggle getting to know her surrogate son, keeping everyone happy and healthy, and dealing with the surviving members of the Brotherhood.





	1. What's the situation?

Nora was making her way through the wasteland, with Dogmeat loyally by her side. She had been visiting settlements and was now making her way back to ”HQ”. That’s how she thought of Sanctuary now. She could have called it home, but that didn’t really feel right. She still intended to move on, to leave the commonwealth behind. To leave her old life behind. But for now, that was on hold. She felt she still had things to do here. She also felt responsible for the situation.

The commonwealth was in a chaotic state. The institute was gone. In order to get rid of it, Nora had brought together the minutemen and the railroad. She had even managed to talk Preston into saving the Institute technology. But she was still confused by why he insisted on destroying everything. They had, at least, agreed that the surviving Institute people were not to be harmed.

They had also attacked the Brotherhood of Steel. All that was left of them were Haylen and Maxson. Prydwen was in pieces, covering the Boston Airport.

Nora was not sure how Haylen had survived. She seemed to have been somewhere else when the battle had raged. But had arrived near Prydwen’s remains after it. She had actually been the first to find the badly wounded Maxson. Nora had come by them then and had taken them into custody. She had had enough of all the killing, and quickly took them to Sanctuary. The Minutemen hadn’t really cared. The Railroad, on the other hand, had cared. They were not happy with Nora protecting their enemy. But she had talked them around. She had reminded them that the survivors might be convenient in the future. She had also promised to take into consideration the Railroad’s opinion on what to do with them.

Maxson was still in a very weak state and in bed rest. He had barely spoken a word since the battle. But he hadn’t been awake much either.

Danse came to Sanctuary when he heard that the two survivors were there. He wanted to be by their side. Apparently, he had been cast out of the Brotherhood, after they had found out that he was a synth.

The three were sort of prisoners at the moment. Sort of because they weren’t behind locked doors, but they were definitely under surveillance. And would be apprehended if they tried to leave. Nora was still considering what to do with them. First, she needed to get some information out of them. But on the long run…that was a different matter. They could be good allies, but that might be too much to ask of them.

When Nora arrived in Sanctuary, she immediately checked how her “guests” were doing. There had been no new developments. Maxson was asleep most of the time, and Danse and Haylen kept to themselves.

So, she headed to her house. She had renovated her old home in to a rather cozy dwelling. Maybe it hadn’t been the wisest decision. Staying in her old home, like she couldn’t let go of the past. But she felt she still had much to do here. And Sanctuary had grown into a nice settlement. So, why not use the house. But she would leave eventually. When the time was right.

Her house wasn’t the only thing she had held onto. Codsworth was still with her, looking after the house and helping out in general. Ada was with her too. Nora didn’t know why she seemed to prefer the company of robots and animals to humans. She couldn’t imagine being without the two robots and Dogmeat anymore. But she hadn’t gotten close to another human since waking up from her 200 hundred years' sleep.

And then there was Shaun. Not the Shaun she had given birth to, but the synth Shaun. Yet another thing she could not leave behind.

Her last memory of the real Shaun was when he was a baby. And yes, technically she had met the real Shaun as an old man, but she didn’t feel that that was her son. It was too weird.

So, she felt as though she had saved her son. Even if in reality, she had adopted a surrogate.

In any case, she and Shaun were still very awkward with each other. She hadn’t yet tried to forge a relationship with the boy. Lack of time was partly to blame, but she might have been avoiding it also. She was now a single parent, and that seemed to make a big difference. Besides the kid felt like a stranger, and she was never very good at getting to know people. Maybe that’s why she preferred non-human company.

She reached her house and the moment she was within six feet from it, Codsworth rushed out.

“Oh, mum. You’re back. I’m so relieved. I’ve been-.“

“Codsworth I’m glad to see you too, but could we talk later. I’m kinda tired from my trip.” She liked Codsworth, but she didn’t always have the patience for him.

“Oh, course mum. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I think I’ll just eat something and go to bed.”

As she was eating Ada came by to say hello, but thankfully wasn’t interested in further conversation. Shaun hadn’t shown his face yet. So, she decided she should approach him herself. If she wanted to be a parent to him, she should try to be one.

She found him in his room, drawing something. He seemed very concentrated.

“Hey Shaun.”

“Hey.”

“I just came back…” She didn’t know how to continue, and Shaun didn’t respond either. “So…How’s it going? Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

“No. Not really… But Ada promised I could build a robot with her. I mean, if it’s ok with you?” Shaun seemed very excited about this.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds great.” She was again having trouble continuing this conversation and Shaun wasn’t helping her.

“…Well. I think it’s time for bed now.” Fortunately, the kid took the hint and started to put away his things.

They said goodnight to each other, and Nora quickly got into her bed. She realized again how tired she was.

She was going through her day in her head. It had consisted of mostly traveling. Unfortunately, the scenery could be depressing around here. But there was some beauty there as well.

More importantly, she had finally tried to connect with Shaun. It wasn’t much of a start. A short conversation. But it was something. Now she needed to keep it up and try to talk to him more. She should probably figure out what activities she could do with him. That was a good way to get to know someone.

As she was lying in bed, all the ways she could have continued the conversation started to come into her mind. Questions she could have made.

‘Great._ Now_ I know what to say. Why does this always happen to me.’

* * *

The next morning Nora was doing her morning routine and planning her day. She decided it was time to have a chat with her Brotherhood-guests. She walked to Sanctuary’s small infirmary to see Maxson first.

He was the only one there and he was asleep. He looked a little better than the last time she had seen him. He didn’t look so pale anymore. And there was no i.v. connected to him now.

As she was contemplating him, Maxson woke up and opened his eyes. He was clearly confused about where he was for a moment. Soon his eyes found her. He stared at her, still half-asleep.

“Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“…No. I don’t think so.” His voice was rough from disuse. But his eyes became sharper. He was wide awake now and he seemed to tense up.

“Well. I think it’s time we had a chat. You up for it?”

“Fine.” A terse answer.

“How aware of your situation are you?” Nora decided it was best to get straight to business.

Maxson looked away from her and contemplated something. It was odd, seeing him like this. Nora had met him before the battle, when she had helped the Brotherhood. This was before she realized that she would rather not get involved with them. Some of their ideology just didn’t sit right with her.

Nora remembered him as commanding, intense, and charismatic. Now though, he looked broken and scared. He also looked…smaller. Must be the lack of the heavy coat.

“Haylen told me about the situation. That we’re all that’s left. And we are your prisoners.” He still didn’t look at her. She had trouble imagining that he usually had trouble looking at people. He must be very uncomfortable with the situation.

“Ok. Well, I’m going to honest with you. The Railroad wants you dead. But I don’t agree with them. I don’t condone killing a group of people to the last person. Your Brotherhood is gone, whether you’re still alive or no-“.

“You should have let me die with my men.” He was finally looking at her and some of his intensity was back.

She thought of some flippant replies to that. Fortunately, she caught herself before she actually said any of them out loud. No need to antagonize him further.

She was relieved that there was still some diplomacy left in her. Lately, she had been worried this wasteland had changed her to a different person. A more ruthless one.

Before she could say anything, he seemed to deflate. His outburst had been too much for him. He was still so weak.

“I still have some questions, but I think we should continue this another time. You’re clearly not ready yet.” Nora didn’t want to leave with that and continued. “And if you don’t want to live for yourself, at least think of Haylen and Danse. They still care about you and want you to live…And do you have any family? I’m sure they miss you.”

He was not reacting. He looked away from her and kept silent.

“Fine. I’ll see you later.” She didn’t wait for an answer that wasn’t coming and walked out.

‘Jesus. I hope he gets less confrontational when he gets his strength back.’ There were important things she wanted to discuss with him. Like what the rest of the Brotherhood of Steel would do. But getting anything out of him would probably not be easy.

She could ask Haylen and Danse, but since they weren’t so high ranking, they probably didn’t know as much.

She found the two together, talking quietly. They heard her coming and turned towards her. They both had courteous smiles on their faces. She immediately felt more at ease with them than she had with Maxson.

She tried to make small talk for a while, but she was never very good at it. And she quickly moved on.

“I’ve just been to see Maxson. And he…well, I guess he's still recovering. He wasn’t in a very…receptive mood.”

Haylen looked apologetic, but Danse looked pained for some reason.

“Yeah. The elder has been like that with us too. But I’m sure he’ll get around, once he adjusts to the situation.” Haylen said. She seemed hopeful.

“Do you think he can? Adjust, I mean.” Nora was a little skeptical. Maxson seemed like a very rigid person to her.

“Well. He has to, and I’m sure he will.” Haylen seemed to believe in what she was saying. Danse, however, looked uncertain.

“Ok. I’ll be patient then. Can I ask you some questions?” She might as well try to get information out of them. Now that they seemed friendly towards her.

“Sure.”

“Do you have any idea how the Brotherhood elsewhere is going to react to what happened here?” She could feel both of them close up. Their smiles were gone, and their shields were up. It seemed it was too forward of her after all.

“It’s hard to say.” Haylen said carefully. There was an awkward silence.

“Ok. I understand that you don’t trust me that much yet. And this is hard for you, but…can you at least say if there is any danger of retaliation?”

“We wouldn’t know.” Danse said and they both stayed quiet.

It was probably time to retreat. This was clearly going nowhere now, and she didn’t want to completely turn them away from her.

“Well, I’ll leave you alone. I have to get back to other things anyway. I’ll see you later.” She left them in haste.

It seemed she had overestimated her chances of getting information. And she had to admit, she hadn’t been very patient or sensitive. But she was worried. Wiping out the Brotherhood in the commonwealth could have serious consequences. She wanted to be prepared, to know what to expect. But she also wanted to accomplish that with humane methods. And that requires patience. Besides, none of the three would probably respond well to violence or threats.

For now, she had to concentrate on other things. And she could get back to this at a better time.


	2. Stupid, sexy Maxson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora and Maxson have an encounter.

A few days later Nora was designing a new robot with Shaun and Ada. It was fun, and she was finally getting closer to Shaun. He was a fairly mature and thoughtful child. But he did still have moments of childishness. Making the robot seemed to bring that side of him out more. He was always very excited and had a lot of suggestions. Some of his suggestions were surprisingly good. But Nora often had to think of ways to make the ideas into more practical ones.

Still, it had turned out to be a great way to spend time together. It was nice to spend time with Ada also. And she was a valuable help in many ways.

The rest of her time had been mostly spent helping others. The whole of the commonwealth seemed to calm down, finally. The Minutemen and the Railroad were still working together to keep the peace. Hopefully, it would last. But there could be threats from the outside as well.

Nora hadn’t tried to get any information out of Haylen, Danse or Maxson. She wanted to give them some space first. But she also wasn’t very eager to try it again. She had had some courtesy talks with Haylen and Danse but had avoided Maxson. And he seemed to be avoiding her as well.

She had observed the three of them though. There seemed to be some interesting dynamics going on. Haylen was interacting with both men. Though, she was spending much more time with Danse. It was rare to see either one alone for long.

Danse and Maxson had a clearly strained relationship. Nora was fairly sure she knew why. But it also seemed the anger was one-sided. Maxson was refusing to acknowledge Danse. And Danse seemed to accept it but was hurt by it anyway.

Nora knew she should be talking to them. She should try again to get information out of them. And she should finally decide what to do with them. Should she let them go? Try to influence them? Or try to persuade them to work with the Minutemen and the Railroad?

Problem was that she wasn’t sure how to approach them. So, she kept delaying.

When she was done with Shaun and Ada for the day, Nora decided to take a break. She found a table with some chairs outside and relaxed on one of the chairs. She hadn’t sat there long when Haylen approached her.

“Can I join you?” Haylen asked carefully.

“Of course.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Do you ever feel like…like everything is somehow up to you?” Haylen asked. She seemed frustrated.

Nora let out a quiet laugh. “Oh yes. I know that feeling.”

“Maxson, I mean the elder, and Danse…they’re impossible. So stubborn. It’s just the three of us, and I think we should have solidarity. But I can’t get them to work together… And they refuse to think about our future. They’re just sulking.” It all came out in a rush. It seemed she needed to vent to someone. And Nora couldn’t blame her.

“You know…You can’t force people into things.”

“I know, I know but it’s just that…This isn’t right.” Haylen had calmed down again. But she looked tired.

“If I would let you go, what would you do?”

Haylen considered this.

“I can’t answer that alone.”

“But what if you three went your separate ways?”

Haylen was quiet for a long while.

“I’ve been with the Brotherhood for a long time…I suppose I would go west to find them.”

Nora wasn’t very surprised by this answer.

They sat in silence again.

“I am grateful for you, and for the people of Sanctuary. I know we’re lucky you found us first. And everyone has been nice to us here.”

Nora wondered what brought this on.

“Of course. But don’t thank me yet. Your future isn’t up to just me.”

“I know.”

Haylen left soon after that. That was…an interesting talk.

Nora watched her go. She went back to Danse. They were helping people around Sanctuary. They had asked if they could, they wanted to do their part. Their attitude was a little surprising, considering that Nora had been involved in the attack on the Brotherhood.

Even more surprisingly, Maxson was also doing his part, which wasn’t much yet. His strength still wasn’t at a normal level, but it was quickly getting better.

His personality was back, however. The man was a leader and he tended to take the reins on everything. That attitude was not always appreciated by the people of Sanctuary. They had asked Nora to talk to him, but she hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

She saw Maxson sitting, taking a break. She should get it over with now. Nora stood up and walked to him.

“Maxson.” His head turned towards her and he nodded in greeting.

Nora realized she probably shouldn’t go straight to reprimanding him.

“How are you feeling?”

He looked away from her deep in thought.

“Not how I wish I was feeling.”

“Well. It’s nice that you’re helping people around here. They…we appreciate it.”

Maxson shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t like to sit around doing nothing. And I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

“Like I said we appreciate it but …People here aren’t used to a person like you and…we like to treat each other as equals as much as we can. So, could you tone down your assertiveness a little.”

Maxson stared at her and he had that intense look again. This could be bad.

“I thought I was. I understand what my position here is. I am a captive.”

Well, at least he hadn’t gotten angry.

“Ok, but could you tone it down a little more?” Nora said this with a non-threatening voice as she could. She didn’t want to get into a fight with him.

“Fine.”

Great, that was now over with.

But Nora sometimes didn’t know when to quit, and of course, continued.

“Also, I know how you feel about all non-human people. We, however, accept everyone. So you should keep your thoughts about that to yourself. Ok?”

Maxson was staring at her again.

“You accept everyone?”

“Yes, everyone.”

“Absolutely everyone?”

“If they don’t hurt anyone else. Yes.”

He looked…worried?

“That is dangerous. And foolish.” He had a look in his eyes that suggested he was going to tell her exactly why.

“Oh, god. Don’t start lecturing me. I really don’t care.”

But he did. He stood up and he lectured her. With feeling. And for a while, Nora listened, but eventually couldn’t take it anymore.

“You really do believe in all this. Don’t you. You know…it’s kind of sad.”

“Of course I believe it. I have experienced what they can do. We all have. Mutants will kill you and eat you. Synths deceive you. They are all inhuman.”

“Not all of them. And sometimes they might be attacking because they feel threatened. These things are never simple. Have you ever thought of that?”

“I don’t know why I’ve been so understanding with you. You were involved in killing my men. You had nothing to fear from us but you still attacked us.”

“You were invaders, we did it to protect people. And I didn’t want it to go so far as to kill everyone.”

“Invaders !? We wanted to save these people.”

He had been coming closer to Nora while speaking, possibly unconsciously. He was leaning over her in a threatening way.

“And don’t try to intimidate me, it’s not working. It’s just making me annoyed.”

He did lean back a little. And Nora finally noticed that he was red in the face and breathing pretty heavily. She instantly felt guilty for upsetting him when he wasn’t alright yet. She had always been too sympathetic to everyone.

“You’re not looking so good. So…we should leave it at that for now. Truce?”

He nodded and had to lean into a nearby wall.

“Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you.” He was still clearly angry but too tired to do anything.

Nora didn’t feel like saying anything and just walked away.

Now that she was out of the situation, she realized something. She was kind of attracted to him.

It was worrying but it wasn’t completely out of nowhere. When Nora had visited the Brotherhood and met him, she had had the same thought. She had always had a thing for intense men, Nate being the exception. But she hadn’t really thought any more about it since.

Now though, when he’d talked with such feeling and conviction…she didn’t agree with most of the things he said. But at the same time, it had generated feelings, and she felt the attraction again.

She hadn’t been with a man since Nate. And now that she wasn’t searching Shaun anymore, it was clear how lonely she felt. But there was something wrong with her taste in men now. She was not supposed to want a man she disagreed with this much.

‘What the hell is wrong with me? He’s not a good man.’

He was also still technically her enemy.

This would make dealing with the man harder. It would make things awkward at least.

For now, it would be best to concentrate on something else.


	3. Where do you come from?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora and Maxson have a civilized conversation.

Another few days had gone by and Nora hadn’t talked to Maxson since their encounter. Building the robot was on hold as well. They had run into some trouble with it and didn’t know what to do. So, she was kind of bored at the moment.

That’s probably why she was giving so much thought to the Brotherhood survivors.

Haylen and Danse had become completely inseparable. Nora was suspecting they might be more than friends now. Although it was hard to say for sure. And it wasn’t really her business anyway.

Maxson seemed lonely and Nora felt bad for him. He seemed to have healed very well physically, at least. Who knows what his mental state was, though. So, Nora decided to invite him to dinner with her family. (Family of a synth child, two robots and a dog. What could go wrong.)

She decided it was best to get it done as soon as possible. So, she approached him the moment she saw him.

“Hey, Maxson!”

He turned to look at her and was instantly on his guard.

“Yes.”

“Uh…I know it got a bit tense the last time we spoke, but I’d like for us to have a better rapport. That’s why I want to invite you to have dinner with me and my…family.”

He answered without even considering it.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t know what your aim is here, but I want no part in it.”

“Fine. If you change your mind, come to my house in an hour.” With that, she left him there. No point in trying to force him.

* * *

But he had apparently changed his mind because an hour later he knocked on her door.

Nora wanted to set the mood to friendly from the beginning. “Oh, hey. Nice to see you.”

“Yes. I…changed my mind. As you can see.” He was being very awkward and looked like he didn't want to be there. Why had he come then?

“Come in. Have a seat.”

As he walked in Nora made quick introductions.

As they were eating Nora mostly talked with Shaun, Ada, and Codsworth. She did exchange a few words with Maxson about his health. But he didn’t seem very comfortable with the others around.

In the end, Nora was left alone with Maxson. He was finally getting comfortable with being there. Nora didn’t want to destroy the relaxed atmosphere. So, it was better to avoid talking about the current situation. And she had to admit that she was interested in how he’d become who he was.

“So…Tell me about yourself?”

“About myself? What in particular?”

“What was your childhood like? Have you always been with the Brotherhood?”

“Yes, I have. My parents were part of the Brotherhood. Actually…my ancestor was the founder of the Brotherhood. That’s why...there have always been great expectations placed on me.”

Nora suddenly felt a chill. He was a lot more important to the Brotherhood than she had realized. This might be bad. They might be very interested in getting him back.

She had gotten so lost in thought that she had missed most of what he’d said. He had noticed and was watching her.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. You can continue.”

“Well…what more do you want to know?”

“What did you like to do as a child?”

“I didn’t have time for frivolous things. There were always the responsibilities of the Brotherhood.”

“Wow. Sounds like a crappy childhood.”

He looked confused.

“I mean, I’m sure that living in this…place is tough. But still, you were a child. You should have been allowed to find your own way and have time to do your own things. And you know… have fun.”

He still seemed confused.

“What the hell has that got to do with being a child.”

“Well, I think it’s unfair to place burdens on a child. Childhood is our foundation. We have so much to worry about when we’re adults, we should at least get a stress-free childhood. Besides, playing and having hobbies teaches you things.”

He didn’t seem to agree, but he did let her finish.

“Sounds to me that you have your head in the clouds.”

“Why?”

“Because we can’t afford to have that kind of life.”

“Why not? We could shape our society in a lot of different ways.”

He was shaking his head. Nora wasn’t deterred.

“It can work. It did work…Where I come from.”

“What does that mean? Where did you come from?”

Nora was not sure if it was a good idea to tell him this. But she did it anyway.

“From here, but…from before the nuclear war.”

He was staring at her. “Do you expect me to believe you’re a time-traveler? Or that you are immortal?”

“No. I was in a vault in cryogenic stasis for over two hundred years. I was put in the stasis when the Great War began. And I was awakened and let out just before the first time we met.”

Maxson looked at her with disbelief.

“…Are you being serious?”

“Yes. Why would I lie about this?”

“I don’t know.” He seemed conflicted. “I’m not sure if I believe you. But let’s say that I do. You would have lived before the Brotherhood…”

“Yes. And?”

“What was it like?”

“…That’s a broad question.”

“If there was no need for the Brotherhood yet…Was it like a paradise?”

It felt like a very naïve question. Was any place ever a paradise.

“Well…I guess if you compare it to this day and age…Kind of. Although, I’m sure it depends on who you ask. People were in different situations. But for me, yeah it was a paradise. I was happy. I had a home, a family, it was clean and…” Nora was hit with a wave of nostalgia and homesickness. For a home that was gone for good. And a husband that was lost.

“I’m sorry. For your loss.”

Nora returned to the here and now; she had forgotten where she was for a moment. And she really wanted to change the subject.

“Yeah. Better not to think about it too much…Anyway, I still want to hear what you would have done as a child if you had time for yourself?”

Now he was uncomfortable. He wasn’t saying anything.

“Oh c’ mon. There must be something?”

“I guess, I liked writing stories.”

“Really. That’s surprising.” Although, she was beginning to see a more thoughtful side of him. So, maybe it wasn’t that surprising.

“But it wasn’t the sort of thing I was supposed to do. So, I had to forget about it.”

“Maybe you should take it up now. Nobody’s telling you what to do here. No expectations.”

“Hm.” He had a faraway look in his eyes. “I guess so.”

Nora decided to take advantage of the situation and find out what she could.

“What would you do, if I let you go?”

“What? As in, you’d just let me walk out of here?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know.”

“Would you go back to the Brotherhood?”

“I…suppose so. That’s where I belong.” But he didn’t look very sure of himself. Suddenly he turned to look at her.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t seem to really fit in here. You’re very aloof.”

Nora wondered where this was going.

“You’re right. I’m not very interested in most people. Or their company.”

“You’ve made a home here, but are you really going to stay here for long?”

Was it that obvious that she planned to leave this place behind?

“No. I’m just making sure everything’s ok here. I’m going to go my own way eventually. With my new family.”

“Yes. Shaun is your son? He survived with you?”

Again, Nora had to stop and think about what she would reveal. She wanted to be honest. Maybe because this was the first time, after being frozen, that she had felt a connection with someone.

“To tell you the truth. When I was awakened from the stasis for the first time. My husband was killed and my baby, Shaun, was taken. I, of course, did everything I could to find him.” She stopped to think about how to phrase what she was going to say next. Maxson spoke before she could continue.

“I guess you found him?” He was clearly thinking of the synth Shaun.

“Well…Kind of.” And she decided to take a risk and be honest about Shaun.

“This Shaun is a synth version of my Shaun.”

Not surprisingly Maxson’s eyes went wide open. He looked horrified. Just as he was opening his mouth Nora quickly cut him off.

“I wasn’t tricked or anything. Or, I guess I was. But I adopted him knowing what he was.”

Maxson closed his mouth and looked judgingly at her. But he didn’t confront her.

“What about your real son?”

“He’s…gone.” She was not going to start explaining what happened to him. There was no way that would go down well with Maxson. It was lucky he was taking synth Shaun this well. Nora was not going to push her luck any further.

They were silent for a moment. Both deep in thought.

Maxson broke the silence.

“I guess it’s getting late. I should go.”

They stood up and walked to the door.

“Thank you for the dinner.”

“My pleasure.”

At the door, he hesitated for a moment.

“You said you aren’t very interested in other people’s company…Why have you been so interested in mine, then? Is it to get information? Or to influence me?” He didn’t seem hostile, just genuinely interested.

“I can’t say I’m not trying to get information out of you. But it’s not just that. You seemed lonely. And, I don’t know, maybe I am interested in you, in some way. You’re…an interesting man.” That came out awkward. But she wasn't sure about her reasons herself.

He looked surprised. But he nodded to her and walked away. She realized too late that she hadn’t asked why he’d come after all.


	4. What now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally had some time to finish the story. Honestly, not very happy with it. I need to practice some things. Like how to write an ending.

Nora and Maxson had started to grow closer together. They often had discussions about all kinds of things. Maxson mainly talked about growing up in the Brotherhood and being a leader. And Nora told him all about life before the war. He was eager to hear about it, even if sometimes he was a bit skeptical. They still had their differences though, and often their conversations turned to heated debates.

It seemed she had influenced Maxson. A little at least. He seemed a lot more relaxed about synths. Maybe being around Shaun had helped. And maybe some of what she had said had made an impression.

Something else had happened between them as well. Their relationship had become physical surprisingly quickly. Both of them usually had trouble finding people they could connect with. And in Sanctuary especially neither of them had much company. So, it was easy to search for comfort in each other. Nora wasn’t a very romantic person. But she had started to have feelings for him. And she was hoping that instead of going back to the Brotherhood he would stay with her. She had enough sense to realize it would probably never happen, but she couldn’t completely forget about it either.

Things had picked up on other fronts as well. She and Shaun had finished the robot. It was a multi-purpose robot, for helping around Sanctuary. They were proud of it and it was a good gift to the people there.

Nora had also talked with the Railroad about Maxson, Haylen, and Danse. Unfortunately, it seemed they were adamant that the trio could not be let go free. Nora didn’t agree. She had decided that she was going to let them go. Quietly of course, before the Railroad had a chance to do anything to them.

She would leave the Commonwealth herself as well. She wasn’t proud of planning to slip away quietly and smuggling prisoners out. But it felt like the best solution.

She hadn’t talked about her plans to anyone else yet. But since it needed to happen soon, she was running out of time.

She was spending time with Maxson again when he brought up the Brotherhood.

“I have a feeling there are things you want to ask me about the Brotherhoods plans. I hate to feel like I’m betraying them but…maybe I should be honest with you. They probably are going to come here at some point. But I don’t know when and with what attitude.”

“Yeah. I figured it’d be something like that…Honestly, I had kind of put that aside already. I mean, it’s kind of useless to try to predict exactly what’s going to happen. I’m sure people here are getting ready for anything anyway.”

“Was all of this pointless then? Getting to know me? Letting us live?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that. First of all, that was not why I saved your lives. And secondly, as I’ve said I wasn’t just trying to get information out of you.”

“What’s going to happen now?”

“Actually. There’s something I have to discuss with you. But I want to do it somewhere that I’m sure no one is listening. Do you mind coming over to my place? Right now?”

He looked alarmed but nodded. Nora started to lead him to her house. People around Sanctuary watched them intently. Some were only interested, some were disapproving. She had gotten used to it. Most people didn’t like her getting so close to the man. Some had even voiced their opinion. But because she was leaving soon Nora didn’t see a need to conform to popular opinion. She had always replied to them that it was her business.

They arrived at her house and went into her room. Nora finally felt she could speak freely.

“So…I’ve made some decisions. I’m going to go against the Railroads wishes and let you go…Also, I’m finally going to leave this place. For good.”

Maxson looked impressed. And relieved.

“That’s…a big decision to make.”

“I suppose it is. I feel like a coward though. But this is what I have to do. I’m certain that if I hand you over to the Railroad…You won’t be alive for long. And I can’t live with that. Besides, after talking to all three of you, I don’t see any reason not to let you go.”

“Ok. When is all this going to happen?”

“I’m going to leave tonight... I suggest you leave with me. You can go your own way later of course. But I think it would be best if we leave together.”

“That soon.”

“Yes. I’m more than ready to go already. And you probably don’t want to spend any more time here.”

“I wasn’t criticizing. Just surprised.”

They talked some more about the plans to leave. Soon Maxson headed out to tell Danse and Haylen about leaving. And Nora had to get everything in order for the next night.

* * *

They gathered at Nora’s house in the early hours of the morning. Nora was checking her backpack one more time. Shaun was yawning next to her. Ada, Codsworth, and Dogmeat were waiting patiently. And Maxson, Danse and Haylen looked nervous. Nora wasn’t especially worried. It was unlikely that anyone in Sanctuary wanted to prevent them from leaving.

And she was right. They just walked out. The few people who were up and about clearly didn’t want to get involved.

A little after leaving Nora was walking with Maxson.

“You know…I’ve been thinking about what to do next.” Maxson started to say.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sure if I want to go back to the Brotherhood…But on the other hand, I do.”

“Ok. What would you want to do if you didn’t go back?”

“Hm. I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’ve become interested in what life is like outside of the Brotherhood. What it would be like to be a nobody.”

“You could come with me and my little family.”

Maxson smiled at that.

“I suppose so. But I’m not sure what to do.”

“That’s ok, but you have a place with us if you want.”

They continued their way in silence.

Nora had her hopes up again, but she tried to stamp them down. She was too much of a realist not to. (Or maybe a cynic.) She reminded herself that he was a dedicated leader. Besides, he had lived his whole life in the Brotherhood. It was very unlikely he would just up and leave all of it behind. But it did feel nice that he considered it.

They had walked for a few more hours when Danse and Haylen announced they were going to go their way.

Maxson looked surprised.

“Haylen… You’re not returning to the Brotherhood?”

“No. I’m sorry elder, but I want to go with Danse.” That was all she said. It seemed she didn’t want to share her reasons with them.

Maxson looked at her intently, but in the end, nodded to her.

“Alright. If that’s what you want. Take care of yourself.”

Then he turned to Danse, who looked almost scared.

“Danse…I’m sorry for everything. I’m not sure if I’m ok with what you are but…I don’t want to be your enemy.”

“I don’t want that either Arthur.” They shook hands and that was it. Nothing more was needed apparently.

Haylen thanked Nora for everything and hugged her and Maxson. Then they were off. Nora and Maxson stayed there for a while, watching them go. Nora waited nervously what Maxson would do. Would he go his way as well? Or continue with them?

“Should we continue?” Maxson finally said.

“Sure.”

It seemed, for now, he was with them. They walked to Shaun and the others, who were waiting impatiently.

They camped for the night. Nora was hoping to talk with Maxson, but he seemed to be deep in thought. She didn’t want to disturb him, so they spent the evening listening to Shaun and the robots talking.

* * *

The next morning Nora and Maxson were the first ones awake.

“Nora. I’ve made up my mind…I’m going to go back to the Brotherhood.”

“Ok. If that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I have to do.”

He looked conflicted.

“But I’m not sure if that’s what I want for the rest of my life. Maybe we will meet again and…Things will be different.”

“Yeah. Maybe we will.”

He was clearly getting ready to leave.

“How about one last hug?” Nora suggested.

“Sure.”

They hugged for a good while. But once that ended, he just turned and walked away.

Even though she was disappointed, she also felt excited. She had a new life and new adventures to look forward to. With Shaun, Dogmeat, Ada and Codsworth. This world wasn’t ideal but she could make a life for them here.


End file.
